The row between Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and US President Donald Trump was triggered by stress on both sides and Elon made a mistake by publicly challenging Trump, Musk’s father says.

Musk and Trump began exchanging insults last week on social media, with Musk denouncing the president’s sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination”.

“You know they have been under a lot of stress for five months – you know – give them a break,” Errol Musk told Russia’s Izvestia newspaper during a visit to Moscow.

“They are very tired and stressed, so you can expect something like this.

“Trump will prevail – he’s the president. He was elected as the president. 

“So, you know, Elon made a mistake, I think. But he is tired, he is stressed.”

Errol Musk also suggested the row “was just a small thing” and would “be over tomorrow”.

Neither the White House nor Musk could be reached for comment outside normal US business hours.

Trump said on Saturday his relationship with billionaire donor Musk was over and warned there would be “serious consequences” if Musk decided to fund US Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill.

Musk, the world’s richest man, bankrolled a large part of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. 

Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.

This post was originally published on Michael West.